Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

PruFra: Pining

"I'll go get more drinks," Antonio said.

The moment he stood up, though, he swayed a little and had to grab the back of the chair. Gilbert and Francis started laughing, and Antonio joined in after a few seconds. Antonio shook his head, before he started to stumble towards the kitchen.

The three friends got together a few hours ago, and at some point it had turned into a drinking party. Gilbert had no idea how much he'd drunk by this point, and he supposed that he would have a hangover to end all hangovers the next day, but for now, he couldn't manage to care.

It took Gilbert a minute or so to realise that he and Francis were alone in the room. Francis yawned and stretched out, his shirt riding up a little to reveal his belly.

For a while now, Gilbert had become aware of the fact that he saw one of his best friends as more than a friend, but he doubted that Francis would think the same way about Gilbert. Besides, the three of them had been friends since they were five. It would be awkward if Gilbert let slip that he liked Francis.

But more than that, Francis had also had a very bad breakup a few months ago. His ex psychologically abused him, and Francis still needed to see a therapist because of that. Gilbert couldn't do that to Francis now, not after what happened with his ex.

"Here we go," Antonio said as he returned with another six-pack.

"Finally," Gilbert said as he reached for another beer. "I was starting to get thirsty."

"You didn't drop anything, did you?" Francis asked. "I heard something falling."

"No, nothing fell," Antonio insisted. "The bottles just kept dancing around."

"…Mon ami, I think you might have reached your limit."

"Nonsense!" Gilbert exclaimed. "The night's still young, and we've got a lot more drinking to do!"

Antonio and Gilbert clinked their bottles together, while Francis just shook his head.

…

Francis watched the sprawled-out figures of Antonio and Gilbert. He almost expected them to start cuddling each other, and he would be ready with his camera once that happened.

Francis took a long gulp from his bottle, which he'd filled with water at some point. Any chance he got, he would fill it with more water. The result was that he wasn't nearly as drunk as his friends. He hadn't told them, but he would get flashbacks of his ex whenever he got too drunk. He wouldn't deny their drinking parties, but he didn't want to become a mess whenever they hung out together.

He glanced towards Gilbert. A few weeks ago, Gilbert had gotten drunk enough that he admitted to being in love with Francis. He didn't seem to remember it when he woke up after passing out, and Francis dismissed it as nothing more than drunk ramblings, at first. But after being made aware, he could see the subtle signs.

It made him happy. Francis used to have a crush on Gilbert when they were in high school, but assumed that Gilbert would never be interested in someone like Francis. And his ex had told him often that there would be no one else that would ever love him. Gilbert didn't realise it, but he had played a major role in recovering from his ex's abuse, simply by showing Francis that his ex was wrong about at least one thing.

Francis had decided that he wouldn't pursue Gilbert beyond some occasional, subtle flirtations. He would wait for Gilbert to be ready to approach him about this when he was sober. He wouldn't take advantage of his friend's vulnerable state.

I deliberately kept Francis's ex vague so that literally anyone could fill that role.